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imagining the disgusted look on Zed’s face when it was over. Maybe they wouldn’t get that far. The first sight of the dark purple bruises might disgust Zed too much for sex to even happen.
    It no longer mattered. Zed was gone. The ugly bruises that covered his skin were still hidden. He was relieved that his mate didn’t know about the marks marring his body. What if Zed approved of the violence done to him? What if he decided to try it out? One thing was certain. Zed didn’t know he could easily break Luka’s heart into thousands of tiny pieces. The first time Zed hit him or selfishly used him for sexual release would crush any hope he had of being whole and healed.
    He wanted the man from his visions, the person that held and protected him, but the vampire prince hated him. How were they supposed to have that kind of relationship when Zed barely tolerated him?
    Luka yawned. A nap sounded good. It was around midnight. Normally he’d be sleeping and his body knew it. He removed his shoes and tried to get comfortable on top of the bed. The firm mattress dug into the sensitive, battered areas on his body. He tried to push more of his healing magic into his leg, but it wasn’t working. After a nap, it should be better. He needed to rest for his magic to return. It would come back after a nap. He closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.
     
    * * * *
     
    Small hands mixed food coloring into the icing. Each of the seven bowls held a different bright color.
    “That’s it. Mix it all together,” his dad said. Not the cold-hearted king, but his real dad.
    Luka looked up and smiled. He pushed back his bangs. Fingers stuck to the strawberry-blond hair. He scrunched his nose.
    “Don’t worry about it. We’ll take a bath later.”
    He nodded. Luka loved baths. He got to splash and play until the water turned cold. He looked at his hands. They were an interesting green.
    “Are you ready to spread the icing?”
    Luka giggled. “The cupcakes will make a rainbow.”
    “Yes, it will. My sweet boy loves colors.” His dad leaned in and hugged Luka.
    “Daddy, stop it. I’m almost five. That’s too big for kisses.” He patted down the red hair and pouted.
    The older man laughed. “Tomorrow you’ll be five. Then we’ll talk about too old for kisses and hugs.” He gave Luka one more hug.
    Luka laughed. “Deal. Tomorrow we’ll talk about it.”
    The room darkened. The walls were covered in blood and the unnatural silence left the small child shaking. Hands pulled him toward the dark wall.
    Luka’s eyes shot open. The dim light burned, but it was a relief. The dream—no, the memories—no longer invaded his sleep.
    “Get up,” Zed ordered.
    Luka turned toward his vampire mate. Didn’t Zed say he could sleep? He felt so heavy. “What about my nap?”
    “You’ve been sleeping for an hour. That should be enough. Here’s a list of the things you need to do.”
    Zed handed the paper to Luka. The writing was beautiful, but he couldn’t read it. Would Zed hold that against him?
    “Most of the things are for you. Like creating shopping lists for food. You have a budget. It’s more than you’ll normally receive.”
    He looked at the paper and then back up at Zed.
    “If you follow that list, you eat. Stay in bed all day and then you starve. In order to survive, you have to do things for yourself.”
    Luka focused on his mate. His body ached. He reached for his leg and pushed magic into it, but nothing. He felt the magic flow into his body, but it wasn’t working. He looked at Zed. He couldn’t keep the panic out of his voice as he said, “Zed.”
    “Having a budget isn’t something bad. You’ll learn that expensive clothes aren’t important. Now get up, we have a lot to prepare.” Zed turned, leaving Luka alone in the bedroom.
    He should’ve been more honest. He reached down, trying to push healing magic into his leg. The relief wasn’t there. He grabbed his knee and pushed everything into it. He started panting